kevq wrote: Hi,I've not been on line much this last month or so.I think that the trouble with the forum is that there seems to be too much emphasis on competitions. I think that most people would like to see more instructions.I am at the moment finishing a tut that I hope will be helpful to less experienced members. I will post it as soon as I can,Kev.

kev,

That's an interesting point. The contests were created partly as a way to remove the burden from one person who used to have to judge a month's worth of photos for image of the month or page of the month. I think letting everyone vote was seen as a way to encourage participation also. One can always put their photo or page in the monthly gallery if they don't want to be included in the contest. The contests really aren't new, just the member voting part of it.

The problem with getting people willing to teach is that after awhile, people tend to get burned out and tired of replying with the same lessons/tips over and over again. If new people come in and take over the teaching role from the veterans, then there is no problem. But if we don't get new blood, I don't think we can expect the same small group of experts to keep giving and giving of themselves. I by no means consider myself one of the "experts." I put myself in the learners category, and I have learned a lot from this site.